Interventions to reduce zoonotic and pandemic risks from avian influenza in Asia

Abstract

Summary Novel influenza viruses continue to emerge posing zoonotic and potentially pandemic threats, avian influenza A/H7N9 being the most recent example. While closure of live poultry markets in mainland China was effective at aborting A/H7N9 outbreaks temporarily, they are difficult to sustain, given the current poultry production and marketing systems in China. We summarise interventions taken in mainland China to date. We provide evidence for other more sustainable but effective interventions in the live poultry market (LPM) systems that reduce risk of zoonotic influenza including “rest days” in LPM and banning live poultry in markets overnight. On the longer term, separation of live ducks and geese from terrestrial poultry in LPM systems can reduce the risk of emergence of zoonotic, epizootic (and potentially pandemic) viruses at source. Given evidence that A/H7N9 is now endemic in over half of the provinces in mainland China, and will continue to cause recurrent zoonotic disease in the winter months, such interventions should receive high priority in China as well as other Asian countries which are at risk of introduction of A/H7N9 through cross-border poultry movements. Such generic measures are likely to reduce current as well as future threats from zoonotic influenza.

Effect of Live Poultry Market Interventions on Influenza A(H7N9) Virus, Guangdong, China

“…Illicit trading has the potential to change the poultry trade and make officially monitoring and controlling it more difficult. Other less disruptive measures that have been proven to reduce risk can be considered, such as rest days and banning live poultry overnight ( 24 ). …”

The Pandemic and its Impacts

“…Closure of wholesale and retail live poultry markets was associated with cessation of zoonotic outbreaks of H5N1 and H7N9 (Peiris, Cowling, Wu, & Feng, 2016). This caused disruption of food supply in the cities.…”

Isolation of H5N6, H7N9 and H9N2 avian influenza A viruses from air sampled at live poultry markets in China, 2014 and 2015

“…In Hong King SAR, a ban on keeping live poultry overnight at retail live poultry markets has been implemented since 2008 [7]. …”